Date Thesis Awarded

5-2024

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelors of Science (BS)

Department

Chemistry

Advisor

Christopher Abelt

Committee Members

Helen Murphy

Tyler Meldrum

Robert Hinkle

Abstract

The first molecular logic gates were created in the 1990s; integrating such logic gates into fluorescent chemosensors allowed for the detection of different types of ions in solution. In this study, we have developed a new use of molecular logic gates by having two of the same type of binding site. The two binding sites on a fluorophore that both detect Na⁺ ions led to an increase in the detection limit compared with the chemosensor with a single binding site. Since the two sodium binding sites create an AND logic gate, two sodium ions are needed to generate a fluorescence response whereas the single-input chemosensor only requires a single ion. Tuning the chemosensor dynamic range is an important problem that must be overcome for developing useful chemosensors, and our technique can be used to shift the dynamic range without the need for novel ligands and binding sites.

Recommended Citation

Acikgoz, Orhan, "Use of Molecular Logic Gates for the Tuning of Chemosensor Dynamic Range" (2024). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 2127.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/2127